Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art

About this Work

Created by IU photography professor Osamu James Nakagawa, these works highlight themes central to his Kai: Following the Cycle of Life series: family, culture, and the passage of time. In Morning Light, his baby daughter, Hikari, sits in the center of the frame holding a camera above her head as if taking a selfie. The shadows on either side represent her parents, whose ghost-like appearances also suggest the spirits of their ancestors. In Wood Blocks, her toy blocks surround and mark the heart of a portrait of Nakagawa’s father—who stands before an abandoned American drive-in screen. The woodblocks suggest Japan’s long printmaking tradition as well as Nakagawa’s own cross-cultural upbringing.